Luke 24: 44 “Jesus said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.”
Early mornings are a blessing those “sleeping in” never experience. We sit on the front porch and watch the wildlife that feed in the early hours before the heat sets in here in the south.
Across the road this morning in the woods, we saw a skunk, several squirrels, two rabbits and hundreds of birds. Three male cardinals appeared frantic as they rushed from one tree to another.
Yesterday, while talking to a neighbor, a flock of turkeys flew over toward a wheat field and an occasional deer can be seen sticking its head up above the wheat to make sure nothing is happening he needs to know.
A corn field on the north east side of our porch appears to grow a little every day.
The comment made is “On a quiet night, we can hear it growing!”
A friend living in a Florida port city once said to me “Everything here rusts! We can hear the old ships rusting on a quiet night.”
The analogy of relating some concepts or processes to actions we usually don’t normally think of as being applicable at times, make a very powerful statement.
The rusting of the old ships is such an example. Rusting obviously doesn’t make sounds that can be heard by the human ear.
The growth of plants and the oxidation of ferrous metals is obviously not an action that can be readily observed. But come back tomorrow or next week and the progression is clear.
Jesus gave us many New Testament commandments. Of paramount importance and observable is what many call the Great Commission. Those observable outcomes may be like the growth of grass or grain but given time, the effects are dynamic.
Matthew 28: 18-20 “Jesus said, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
To evangelize the world is a command of our Jesus. Christianity teaches the only eternal salvation is by a faith based belief in Christ Jesus, crucified for the remission of sin and resurrected from the dead. Jesus shed His perfect blood and died to redeem mankind.
Lost souls are won to our Jesus one at a time. We hear the saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Similarly, the world will not be Christianized in a day. It must happen one person at a time.
To tell every person about Jesus is not only because of eternal souls. For the sake of humanity and civilization, to know God and His teachings in the Holy Bible has reached a state of urgency.
Without God’s rule book, how is man to know civilized behavior? We have found by experience and observation, acceptable behavior does not come naturally. To know right from wrong must be taught and can only happen through the teachings of God in the Holy Bible.
Sadly, mankind appears to be teaching hatred, bigotry and division. This adverse thinking serves only to destroy our precious world and seems to thrive rather than die. Civilization is not dead but may be on its death bed.
Mankind has written many rule books and laws but the only true standard of behavior is set by God. Laws become obsolete (for various reasons), but God’s rule book never loses its validity.
Chaos and violence are in the hearts of men without standards for our actions.
Proverbs 24: 2 “For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.”
Children become adults and many witness violence and many other forms of contempt in their homes. How is anyone to expect any better from them as adults other than what they have been exposed to in earlier years?
There are many reasons for Christians to be active in the teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world. Of course the primary reason is because Jesus told us to. After all, He gave his life blood for our transgressions that we might have eternal life.
Mankind has been seeking eternal life and/or longer life for centuries. Ponce de Leon is famous for his seeking a fountain of youth in Florida and on the island of Bimini in the Caribbean. Many believe Ponce de Leon’s exploration for such a fountain is a myth and he never had that purpose.
At any rate, many are willing to believe anything and go anywhere to gain a longer life span. Specifically, many have invented for themselves a god with the dream this god could extend their life or even give eternal life.
In such a case, why not provide them with the extensive evidence of the reality of the Holy Bible? Salvation is by faith but nothing is to say it must be blind. Evidence for the Holy Bible is abundant and compelling.
While we may not be able to hear our faith grow, we can see it grow like we see plants growing. Sadly enough, the growth of Christianity in today’s world is growing much too slowly.
The world population is growing much faster than the growth of Christian believers. Another negative is the growth of non-believers. While many attempt to reason with their Creator and rationalize His non-existence, believers are sitting on our hands and allowing them to succeed.
We are the hands, feet and voices of our Jesus in this lost and godless world. And we are moving too slowly and quietly. It is time to pick up the pace and get loud!
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary. Email: [email protected]
